.... about it. I've learned - That you can do something in an instant that will give you heartache for life. I've learned - That no matter how thin you slice it, there are always two sides. I've learned - That it's taking me a long time to become the person I want to be. I've learned - That it's a lot easier to react than it is to think. I've learned - That you should always leave loved ones with loving words. It may be the last time you see them. I've learned - That you can keep going long after you think you can't. I've learned - That we are responsible for what we do, ....

.... darling buds of May, And summer’s lease hath all too short a date: Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines, And often is his gold complexion dimmed; And every fair from fair sometime declines, By chance, or nature’s changing course, Untrimmed: But thy eternal summer shall not fade, Nor lose possession of that fair thou owest; Nor shall death brag thou wander’st in his Shade, When in eternal lines to time thou growest: So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see, So long lives this, and this gives life to thee. In the simplest terms possible, Shakespeare is saying that the woman of whom this poem speaks of is beautiful. But even more tha ....

.... gun in the belly of the plane. This poem reads like a nightmare or dream being told by a soldier who has been taken from his childhood and thrown into war. The soldier describes the fear of awakening from the naive state of childhood into the preeminent likelihood of his death during the "State" of war (line 1). He describes the disconnection he feels from Earth and what he calls it "dream of life" as if life only existed in birth and death (line 3). When he awakens to "black flak" and "nighmare fighters" he seems to imply that all that lies between birth and death is war (line 4). The theme to this poem emerges in the last line with almost a plea that he ....

.... the individual and the natural world. Shelley begins his poem by addressing the "Wild West Wind" (1). He quickly introduces the theme of death and compares the dead leaves to "ghosts" (3). The imagery of "Pestilence-stricken multitudes" makes the reader aware that Shelley is addressing more than a pile of leaves. His claustrophobic mood becomes evident when he talks of the "wintry bed" (6) and "The winged seeds, where they lie cold and low/ Each like a corpse within its grave, until/ Thine azure sister of the Spring shall blow" (7-9). In the first line, Shelley use the phrase "winged seeds" which presents images of flying and freedom. The only problem is that they lay ....

.... this time, he has survived and is still here. He has seen it all and done it all. Like rivers that often grow over time, the soul of this man, and the soul's of his ancestors and descendants, have grown/will grow deep with patience for a better time to come, and determination to go on until that time finally arrives. All things that have been experienced, all hard rains of troubled times, have added to his river, his soul, and helped make him who he is. Without these times, both the good and the bad, he would not possess the beauty of who he is, knowing the limits and possibilities of his body and soul. In "I, Too," Hughes portrays utmost assurance and serenity. He acc ....

.... to omit a certain glow and gentleness that he cherishes. A single touch from her "flower soft fingers" makes him feel alive, and whole. She was torn from his life, but he feels blessed for even experiencing that love. The poet refers to her as "The whitest pouring of eternal light." She was like a small shaft of light pouring into the dark room of his life. A reoccurring image is found quite often throughout the poem which adds a crisp flavor to the piece. The word "gold" is used frequently. This image refers to the princess. It reflects and portrays everything about her. She is gold; a rich, precious gem, unavailable to the poet. The continued reference to this ....

.... spider is a mask that makes people think that it is innocent and pure when it is really not. Traditionally spiders have been associated with dirty and devilish acts. By portraying the spider as white it comes into a whole new perspective, and you begin to think that maybe the spider is not so bad after all. In the second part of the first stanza Frost describes a witches brew with all the ingredients being white. Witches have traditionally been ugly people wearing all black, the color that represents darkness and death. By saying that the white spider and the dead moth are like ingredients of a witches brew is actually putting those two objects on a lower level of exist ....

.... with his foster father. He married his cousin Virginia. She was his sanity and his life. When she died of tuberculosis, he lost everything. He felt as though he had no control in his life. . . . I hold within my hand Grains of golden sand- . . . they creep through my fingers . . . O God! Can I not grasp Them with a tighter clasp? In the first stanza of his poem, Poe is speaking to a person who has seen him through some rough times. He is trying to convince her as well as himself that his life has not changed through the years. He questions the realness and significance of the everyday events of life and finally concludes that they are unimportant and superficial. ....